With eight games remaining this season, beginning with tonight's matchup with the Golden State Warriors, the Sixers sit in 10th place in the Eastern Conference, 1½ games behind the Cavs and three behind the Celtics, who hold the final playoff spot in the East. If the Sixers are going to avoid missing the playoffs for the first time since 1997-98, they're going to have to do it without Allen Iverson, who is sidelined the rest of the season with an injured knee. The Sixers are 12-14 without Iverson this season but have won seven of their last nine without the former MVP.

HE PROLLY WILL GET TIRED OF SITTIN HOME WITH THAT FEMALE! BUT ON THE SERIOUS TIP...... WHAT THE F***! IVERSON OUT FOR THE REST OF THE SEASON?!?!?! NOOOOOOOO! WELL I HEARD THAT IF THEY MAKE TO THE PLAYOFFS LIKE IM HOPIN THEY DO HE'LL BE ABLE TO PLAY THEN! I THINK WE NEED TO ALL PRAY!..............AMAN! _________________AHH SHYT, YA'LL DONE FUCKED UP AND LET ME IN THIS BITCH IM JUST AND AVERAGE HOOD CHICK WITH DREAMS OF GETTIN RICH ----I'M A PIMP I GOT YO NIGGA BREAKIN ME OFF WIT DAT DOE!<<< BEALIVE DAT ~

When the season is finished, Allen Iverson will have missed 34 games — the most of any season in his 8-year career. (AP)

John Turner
ComcastSportsNet.com

If the 76ers are going to make the playoffs, they are going to have to do it without the services of star-guard Allen Iverson.

What many in Philadelphia suspected was confirmed on Tuesday night, when 76ers president Billy King announced that Iverson would miss the remainder of the regular season because of pain and inflammation of the right knee.

"Where we are in the season, with the amount of games left, I thought it best for him not to play," King said. "It's been six weeks he's been trying to deal with it, and he comes back and it swells up. It's better now to sit him down and try to and get this so it doesn't turn into something that lingers a lot longer."

King insisted that it was Iverson's knee and not his tumultuous relationship with interim coach Chris Ford that led to the decision on Tuesday.

"It's not a situation where Allen doesn't want to play like a lot of people speculate," King said. "It is that the knee keeps swelling up. He played those four games and flew back from Miami and the knee swelled up. This has been going on for six weeks. It's best in these two weeks not to jeopardize his future.

"He wants to play. What he doesn't want is people saying he doesn't want to play for Chris Ford. He loves to play basketball. He's played with injuries. The swelling of the knee doesn't allow him to move. He needs his speed to move and get around."

Iverson, who has missed the team's last four games and 27 overall, visited New York Giants team physician Dr. Russell Warren on Monday. Warren concurred with Sixers team doctor Jack McPhilemy that Iverson had suffered no meniscal or ligament damage to his knee.

The pain and swelling is being caused by a small articular cartilage lesion in the trochlear groove of the femur under the patella.

"We've been playing without Allen for a while," Ford said. "We'll just keep going. We are going to compete. Our job is to go out and compete every night.

"This is not unique to a team. This happens in the course of a year. You deal with it."

Iverson's absence may not be the worst thing in the world for the Sixers, who are two and one-half back of the Boston Celtics for the final playoff spot after a 95-71 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Without their leading scorer, the Sixers are 13-14 (.481). With Iverson they are 19-29 (.396).

Despite what the numbers say, the Sixers believe that life would be better with their superstar.

"He's the best player on this team," guard Eric Snow said. "I don't see how you could say that you are a better team without the best player on the team."